And then there were three . . .

Genesis issued a great album when I was in high school called "And then there were three".  They were counting down as band members left and only three remained (lucky one of them was Phil Collins).  We are counting up states and have now hit the same total -  three as we entered Vermont this week.  

This past week was awesome as we summited Moosilauke (the last of the Whites), hiked through Hanover NH (a great trail town and home to Dartmouth College) and brought our milage total to nearly 500 as we settled into the Mountain Meadows Lodge in Killington, Vermont to send this update.

We already miss the majesty of the Whites though we are enjoying the smoother trail in Vermont.  Vermont thus far has been like a roller coaster; it just keeps going up and down.  There are no peaks or summits, just lots of up and down trail.  Going through this experience gave me a great object lesson in having a sense of purpose.  

When we hiked up mountains in Maine and NH there was a summit, a sign and a view.  There was a sense of accomplishment and a Kodak moment when you reached the top. In Vermont, there has been none of that.  You climb up just to climb down again.  There is no clear purpose or reward for the climb.  As a result, climbing in Vermont, while physically easier, is mentally more difficult.  Highlights the value and import of having a clear purpose and assuring all involved know what that purpose is.  (Good news is the remaining climbs in Vermont should have peaks and views).

Beyond providing life lessons, the hike continues to provide opportunities to meet amazing, kind people and to see the diversity and wonders of nature.

Day 34 - today we climbed Mt. Moosilauke, the last of the Whites at 4,802 feet.  The weather was GREAT and we enjoyed both the alpine zone atop the mountain and the great views back toward the Franconia Ridge and the now distant Presidentials.  We will miss the awesome views and life above tree line as we exit the Whites and move south to gentler climbs.

Summitting Mt.Moosilauke was a fitting finish to our time in the Whites

We hit our first actual field today, a stark difference to the many mountains we traversed

You have to love the colors

Lots of new flowers today as we exit the Whites and enter a lower ecosystem  

The trail up Mt. Moosilauke has awesome features but is not for the faint of heart.

The first few miles of climb were along a mountain stream with many falls and cascades - made for great hiking

A second cascade

Cool cascades just kept coming 

Though a steel up hill, I loved the hike along this stream

Erik having second breakfast atop Mt. Moosilauke.  With hiker hunger we eat like hobbits 

Looking down on Woodstock and Lincoln where we started the day (look for the red roofs in the valley.)  A long way down.

Looking back at Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge.  We will MISS the Whites and it was hard to make ourselves come down off Moosilauke.

Looking back at Moosilauke from its South Peak.

Found this one on the way down

Not every flower is bright and  beautiful but they are new and interesting 

Big day for new blooms as we enter our first meadow 

Loved this one 

Erik fording a small river as we head into Warren NH and the Hiker Welcome Hostile

The panorama from Mt. Moosilauke - you can see why it was hard to leave

Erik caught my final ascent up Moosilauke 

This cool restaurant offered dinner on train cars.  

Day 35 - a 15 mile jaunt to Hexacuba shelter climbing Mount Cube was made special by COG (aka Carl the Omellette Guy) a trail angel who cooks eggs for passing thru hikers.  It was delicious and a pleasant surprise late in the day.  Especially nice as we are back to tents and sleeping under the stars.

A gladiolus I believe (at the Hiker Welcome Hostile)

Lots of these beauties as we start encountering fields and meadows 

COGs trailside set up.  A sanctuary for thru hikers who get a seat, some juice and a huge plate of eggs (I had 6 eggs with ham, cheese and onions)

Carl cooking another plate of eggs (he cooked 1596 plates last year) and his dog Liberty

Tomorrow we hike Mt. Smarts, you can just see the fire tower on top.

Day 36 - we hiked 20 miles today, 18 horizontally, a mile up and another one down.  A long day as we climbed Mt. Smarts with its fire tower, Holts Ledge and Moose Mountain.  Water is getting scarce and we are now having to fill up early and pack it into camp.  We had Moose Mountain shelter all to ourselves so set the tents up inside for protection from both bugs and rain.

The terrain and flora change as we head south 

Big and bright

Panorama from the fire tower on Smarts Mountain

Looking from top of fire tower down to our backpacks below 

Mount Moose awaits - our last climb of the day

Day 37- today we reached Hanover, NH home of Dartmouth University.  A trail angel gave us a bunch of protein bars and some bread (Hanover is a hiker friendly town :)).

Another new bloom as we hike out onto campus

This view from Mt. Moose tells the changing hike story as we head south.  In Maine and NH we hiked three peaks a day.  As we head into Vermont the big peaks are days apart.  See the big valley with Killington (our next climb) in the distance.  (Lots of little hills in between though so we don't get bored.)

The diversity of Nature is a miracle

If we were a few weeks later, we would have fresh raspberries- maybe in Mass or Conn

Our camping spot behind the Dartmouth athletic fields.  The string of beer bottle caps indicates our camping spot is also popular with some of the less academically inclined Dartmouth students.

Walking out the AT brings you onto Dartmouth campus and along Main street in Hanover, NH.  

Day 38 - day started late as we waited for our packages to arrive at the Hanover PO. After a free donut from Lou's Bakery, Erik found a piano on Main Street and played to pass some time.  We then grabbed our packages a large gelato (so good) and hiked through Hanover NH and Norwich Vermont to get to the Thistle Hill Shelter.  We hiked 15 miles in half a day and entered camp late.

Another beautifully decorated resupply package.  We love our logistics team.  Thanks Peggy and Rachel.

Zoom in and see there is a visitor on this one

Not a great pick but a new flower as we hike through Hanover 

The Connecticut River is the border between NH and Vermont

Our third state.  Giddy Up!

Several hill tops have these flower filled meadows on top.  Pretty to look at but hot hiking (and full of ticks :()

We passed this old school house converted to a house on our way through West Hartford, Vermont.  Isn't it awesome - perfect front porch

Didn't need to wait for Connecticut as the raspberries were ripe in Vermont.  Erik and I spent 30 minutes picking and eating - soooooo good.

Different varieties hide in some of the meadows we cross.

No, those are not bagels.  Just a strange fungus we ran across (and we did not eat it ;))

Every once in a while I get the camera to do something right.  Look at the vivid color on this little one

Thinking of how much Peggy would love all these diverse wildflowers 

Erik crossing a meadow as we close the day (you will notice I spend a lot of time behind Erik :)).

Day 39 - today we saw a new aspect to the AT as we crossed four different roads on our 12 mile hike to Winturi Shelter and each road had a trail angel or farm stand.  We hiked more than three miles to and from these venues and ate so much good stuff (highlight was a huge homemade ice cream sandwich made with oatmeal raisin cookies). We need to be more disciplined or we will never make it to Georgia.

This one was in a field as we started from Thistle Shelter

Saw this horse on our way to a farm stand and had to take its picture for Rachel

Unique to Vermont and quite tasty.  Maple and bacon go with almost anything 

These little farms and markets have fresh food and are SO tempting to visit 

I think we are over 50 different flowers in just 40 days

An AT marker made from scrap metal parts

The bog bridges in this section were an Eagle Scout project.  Appreciate that scout's work and proud Erik earned his Eagle Scout.

When the trail gets long, discovering a new flower can generate a little excitement 

A great shot that captures the Vermont countryside we are hiking through.  Woods and fields spread over rolling hills.

Day 40 - we got an early start and hiked 16 miles to the Mountain Meadow Lodge.  Was a tough day with nearly a mile of ascent and descent but we made good time getting to the Lodge by 3PM.  Visited a near by deli and had a Tilted Barn (roast beef, grilled onions, bacon and horseradish - so good).

The summit from the Lookout cabin.  Just not great views on cloudy days (no complaints though as we had lots of sun in the Whites :)).

The Lookout is a private cabin but the owners allow AT hikers to overnight there

In Maine and NH they embed metal rungs and cables in the rock.  In Vermont they take more of a Home Depot DIY approach:).

Was hard to get to these below the bog bridge but they are a lovely shade of blue 

Kind of a flower ;)

Thundering Falls near Kent Pond

The Mountain Meadow Lodge (not massacre - Utah joke ;))

Psyche fans will appreciate this one

Thank heaven the resupply box at Mountain Meadows included new shoes.

Maine chewed a pair up in just over 200 miles and the Whites ate another pair in about 300 miles.  They are supposed to last 500 per pair :(.  Word is Pennsylvania will eat a pair as well.  We will see.

Next update should be from North Massachusetts in about a week.  Until then . . .